Teen Spirit

Directed by Max Minghella, Teen Spirit follows a small-town teenager (Elle Fanning’s Violet) as she experiences a series of ups and downs after entering a televised singing competition. It’s a familiar premise that’s employed to watchable yet perpetually erratic effect by Minghella, as the filmmaker, working from his own screenplay, delivers a slow-moving drama that’s rarely able to wholeheartedly capture the viewer’s interest and attention – with the arms-length atmosphere exacerbated by an ongoing emphasis on (and inclusion of) far-from-enthralling attributes and elements. This is particularly true of Minghella’s often egregiously slick visual sensibilities and a lead performance that’s more standoffish than anything else, as, in terms of the latter, Fanning offers up a closed-off turn that generally makes it difficult to wholeheartedly sympathize with and root for her sullen protagonist. (It doesn’t help, either, that most of the music in the picture is decidedly less-than-memorable, ultimately.) There’s little doubt, then, that Teen Spirit‘s mild success is due to its inherently compelling subject matter and smattering of admittedly agreeable sequences, while the feel-good finale does ensure that the movie closes on an undeniably upbeat, satisfying note – with the final result a rough-around-the-edge debut that generally feels like it could (and should) be much better.

**1/2 out of ****